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I Knew You Were Trouble
| Label = Big Machine | Writer = Taylor Swift, Max Martin, Shellback | Producer = Max Martin, Shellback }} "I Knew You Were Trouble" (stylized as I Knew You Were Trouble.) is a song by American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift from her fourth studio album Red (2012). It was released on October 9, 2012 in the United States by Big Machine Records as the third promotional singles from the album. It was written by Swift herself and co-written and produced by Max Martin and Shellback. Musically, the song is a departure from Swift's typical singer-songwriter material, using elements of electropop, pop rock and teen pop whilst incorporating influences of dubstep in its chorus. The song received generally positive reviews from music critics, who commended its mainstream appeal yet criticized Swift's experimentation with dubstep as relatively limited. Due to strong digital sales, the song debuted at number three on the Billboard Hot 100, selling more than 416,000 copies within its first week, making it Swift's fourteenth entry in the top ten, as well as her eleventh debut in the top ten. It also charted in Australia, Canada, Ireland, Japan, New Zealand, Scotland and the United Kingdom. Background and composition "I Knew You Were Trouble" was written by Swift, Max Martin and Shellback, who also produced the track. The song draws from electropop and includes elements of pop rock. During Swift's October 8 preview of the song on Good Morning America, she said "I Knew You Were Trouble" is about "being frustrated with yourself because here you are heartbroken and you knew when you first saw that person, you saw all these red flags and you just went for it anyway, so shame on me." Critical reception The song received generally positive reviews from critics, who complimented its mainstream appeal though many noted Swift's experimentation with dubstep was relatively limited. Spin compared the song positively to lead single "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together", calling it "peppy, uber-catchy pop" and "a far cry from traditional country." The article also commented that "yes, 'Trouble' shows some wub... But as dubstep breakdowns have increasingly become just another feature of the ever-changing pop landscape, like Auto-Tune or 2 Chainz guest spots, what emerges here is merely another sharply crafted Swift kiss-off, in post-David Guetta dance-pop clothing." A review on The Prophet Blog was more cynical of Swift's shift towards pop, stating that "Taylor’s new style will certainly appeal to pop fans who can’t handle even the faintest whiff of country music, but a lot of her longtime fans will be turned off by the fact that Taylor is now starting to sound less like herself, and more and more like everybody else." However, the critic concedes the song is not bad: "It’s far from bad, and it has all the makings of one of those songs that everybody complains about at first, but then succumbs to later." Ray Rahman of Entertainment Weekly commented in a short review that I Knew You Were Trouble. "has the same kind of defiant pop-radio oomph that made her fourth album’s other big breakup banger, 'We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together,' a number one." MTV.com described the track as "chaotic," commenting on how "the song touches on all genres of music, with moments of straight-up Top 40 pop, country and even dance, with its grinding effects, especially on the bumping chorus." The review echoes one of Swift's own comments about the song; during the GMA preview she stated: "It’s a song that’s one of my favorite songs on the album because it sounds just as chaotic as the feeling was when I wrote it." Idolator was conflicted but hopeful about the departure from Swift's typical sound, remarking that "the hook isn’t quite as immediate as 'We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together,' but Martin’s stamp is still all over 'Trouble,' from the bright, sparkly instrumentation to the keen, radio-friendly melody. There might be a little part of us that misses Swift’s very personal and idiosyncratic songcraft, but it’s already clear that it’s elsewhere on the album — and the introduction of these all-star producers into the mix is giving Swift a chance to show that she’s way more versatile than just a girl with a guitar." Chart performance The song debuted at number 3 on ''Billboard'' Hot 100 with 416,000 copies sold in its first week, Swift's second largest first week singles sales. It became Swift's 14th top 10 hit and her 11th song to debut inside the top 10. Track listing *'Digital download' #"I Knew You Were Trouble." - 3:40 *'US Promo CD' #"I Knew You Were Trouble." - 3:40 Charts References Category:2012 singles Category:Taylor Swift songs Category:Big Machine Records singles Category:Songs written by Taylor Swift Category:Songs written by Max Martin Category:Songs written by Shellback Category:Songs produced by Max Martin Category:Songs produced by Shellback it:I Knew You Were Trouble pt:I Knew You Were Trouble